AEON HOSTS ANNUAL LUNCHEON TO CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS
AEON recognises contributions of business partners in strengthening overall business position

Kuala Lumpur, 27 July 2018 Recognising the effort and commitment of its business partners, AEON CO. (M) BHD. organised its annual AEON Business Partners Alliance (ABPA) Luncheon and Awards ceremony to acknowledge the fiscal prowess of its business partners. Held at the InterContinental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, the luncheon served as a platform to award top achieving partners who garnered the highest sales growth in the Retail Business category and AEON Mall category.

The ABPA was established in 2006 and consisted of AEON Retail Businesses. In 2014, this alliance expanded to include businesses from AEON Malls. Today, 193 business partners make up the ABPA, all of whom are focused on forming strategic partnerships, as well as strengthening existing partnerships. More importantly, the ABPA is a platform for AEON and its partners to come up with new ways to enrich and reward customers.

Strategically, the ABPA is a platform for AEON to update its business partners on its plans for the remainder of the year, as well as what to look forward to in 2019. Over 200 guests were present at this year’s event, to not only better understand the current landscape, but share insights with each other.

Shinobu Washizawa, Managing Director of AEON CO. (M) BHD. said: “Over the years, we have established ourselves as one of Malaysia’s top retail companies. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of our tenants and the commitment of our retailers.

“In our effort to provide added variety and an enhanced shopping experience, we recognise innovation and transformation as the keys to progress and success. We believe in improvements that are both high-tech and high-touch. AEON has taken that step further on new ventures, made possible with our valued business partners.”

With a number of refurbishments and development of AEON malls in the works, a partnership with honestbee, and a new e-wallet system being introduced this year, AEON CO. (M) BHD. is in a healthy position to meet its financial forecasts for 2018.

Also present at the luncheon was Datuk Dr. Kamariah Noruddin, Deputy Director General (Macro), Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department. Datuk Dr. Noruddin presented an overview of the Malaysian economic situation, saying that Malaysia has been enjoying GDP growth over the past several years. Furthermore, she said that food, clothing, footwear and furnishing make up 30 per cent of private consumption and remains a key driver of economic growth.

Datuk Dr. Noruddin said: “It is good to see AEON recognising all these brands today at the AEON Business Partners Alliance Luncheon and Awards ceremony. It is even better to see a company such as AEON helping to drive the Malaysian economy forward through a mall concept that not only creates job opportunities for the community, but also enable them easier access to global brands within their neighbourhood. Today’s recognition of all the brands is a testament to their retail success, so I hope they will continue to provide the best experience possible for consumers.”

This year, a total of eight businesses were awarded for their outstanding performance across two categories – AEON Retail Business and AEON Mall. These winners include Abbot Laboratories (M) Sdn. Bhd., Koyata Sdn Bhd and Sharp-Roxy Sales & Service Company (M) Sdn. Bhd. for the Retail Business category; and Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn. Bhd., Metro Eyewear Holdings Sdn. Bhd., OSIM (M) Sdn. Bhd., TCRS Restaurants Sdn. Bhd. and TGV Cinemas Sdn. Bhd. for the AEON Mall category. These businesses received the awards due to a sales growth of over 110 per cent.

Washizawa concluded: “We believe that our collaboration with our business partners is the winning formula that has contributed towards our encouraging performance in the industry and set a higher benchmark. We strive to continue to expand and retain our collaborations for the benefit of not only our customers but also for the betterment of our partners.”

As of 2018, AEON CO. (M) BHD. has recognised more than 30 Business Partners for their excellent achievement through the ABPA awards ceremony.

-End-

About AEON CO. (M) BHD

AEON CO. (M) BHD. is a leading General Merchandise Stores (GMS) cum supermarket chain in Malaysia, with 27 AEON Malls, 35 AEON Outlets, 2 MaxValu and 3 MaxValu Prime Supermarkets across the country. In the spirit of the name AEON, which means eternity in Latin, AEON’s goal is to work together endlessly with its customers, suppliers, business partners, shareholders and the community to create a future of limitless promises. Incorporated in 1984 in response to the Malaysian Government’s invitation to help modernize the country’s retailing industry, AEON’s chain of stores strive to satisfy the ever changing needs and desires of consumers. Guided by its “Customer First” philosophy, the company’s acute understanding of the target market needs, aided by optimal product-mix, AEON surpasses consumer expectations and enhances their experience every time they shop. All this is encapsulated in the tagline “AEON Enriching Your Lifestyle”.

AEON also strongly supports environmental sustainability by championing various recycling, energy conservation and tree planting causes, by engaging and encouraging various parties, including staff, customers, NGOs, government agencies and the community at large to participate.

In 2015, AEON introduced the 'Do Mall' initiative as part of its rebranding exercise to rebrand AEON Shopping Centres to AEON Mall. The initiative marks a next step in product innovation whilst maintaining customers' favourites, a yearlong activities to enhance shopping experience and a new refreshed AEON Mall with more offerings from food, to entertainment, to fashion and to community events.

AEON has been awarded the Gold in Retail category by Putra Brand Award for 7 consecutive years since 2011. AEON was also awarded Green Leadership by Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards in 2010 and 2011. In recognition’s of AEON’s CSR initiative, the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA) awarded AEON the Regional Award for “Best Efforts in Social Responsibility” in 2017. To date, AEON has planted more than 500,000 trees within Malaysia and the Malaysian AEON Foundation (MAF) has donated more than RM9 million to charity causes

For more information, please visit: www.aeonretail.com.my or www.facebook.com/aeonretail.my